Bookcases

One of the things I love to do when I first visit a person’s home is to check out their bookcase, because it can offer a wonderful insight into the person’s nature. Appearances can be deceptive, but a book collection gathered over a lifetime reflects some of the things that have interested a person and made them who they are. I compare whether they have similar tastes to mine, whether familiar titles are on the shelves, but I also look for authors outside my experience. 

I have made several discoveries of great writers by poaching someone else’s taste. I also check whether the pages are dog-eared or if the owner uses bookmarks. If so, what kind of thing do they use - perhaps an old envelope, or a carefully crafted marker with ribbon or tassel to keep the place. I check if covers are treated with care, or if pages are creased and spines broken. 

Above all I look to see whether the books are ordered by size or colour, as if they are purely for show or whether they have signs of regular use. Perhaps there is a dictionary or reference book still on the table from being recently consulted, or a novel with a bookmark part-way through and left on a chair. Readers can always find something they have in common and new friendships can be forged through shared experience of a favourite tale. I find most of my real friends are regular readers who like to have books around them.